a few days ago I picked up a wonderful deal!
I went to Guitar Center to pick up a pair of sticks and found something I really didn't expect.
I was searching the four dollar pile and saw what looked to be a bass head hiding behind everything.
I reached back and saw it was a pearl logo front head (originally marked $65).
so I quickly asked the salesman if this was four dollars and he said it was.

I bought it and another four dollar ten inch ebony head (originally marked $20), brought it home, put em on and tuned em up.
I started with the bass front and played around with that for a while until I got a sound very close to how I wanted it.... but.... I kinda think the ring I get out of it is a bit too much

now for my question. what kind of sound would I get if I ported this head?
or maybe just how should I tune it if I want more of a boom?
on my batter I have some sort of Aquarian that I'm no exactly sure of the model but it's a bit muffled

oh and to add something, I previously had on an evans hydraulic on my front head (I really didn't get what I wanted out of that)

If the head says "Masters" on the bottom, you got the Remo PS3 version of the logo head, a very nice head indeed, and a steal at $4.

Porting the head will reduce resonance and sustain, and will reduce the bounce you feel through the pedal.

If you play out miked you should probably port it; some sound guys can deal with a non-ported reso but many cannot. If you'd like to maintain a little resonance keep the port small (4") and locate it off-center, about 3" from the edge at 4 or 8 o'clock. Get one of the Holz/Drum-Os reinforcing rings to prevent tearing the head when somebody takes the mike out carelessly.

But if you play out unmiked I suggest you not port it. In the unmiked situation it's sustain that gets the bass drum heard, and you can get more if you don't port it. Bass drums with ports and lots of muffling--a setup for miking--are usually inaudible to the audience unless you're in a very small room.

Why not play around with it unported and see if you can get a sound you like first? You can't un-port it, so give the unported reso a whirl.

Note that PS3s usually don't sound their best at the Just-Above-Wrinkle tuning stage that is favored for miking. I get good results by tuning the reso slightly above JAW, up to where the head begins to have some bottom and some sustain. Then I tune the batter a bit higher.

thank you very much for the advice
but just a question, should I tune the reso tight or somewhat loose?

and by the way I've pretty much decided that I won't muffle ANY of my drums
so don't advise that haha

As I mentioned, it depends on whether you mike the kit or not. If you are playing out unmiked, and if it's a PS3, tune it up to where it begins to have some sustain. Then try the batter a little higher. It will sound like too much sustain from the driver's seat, but not from the audience. It will sound louder from out front than a heavily muffled drum.

BTW, there's nothing wrong with muffling drums where appropriate. The above recommendation isn't particularly appropriate for recording in a studio or for miked live playing, for example.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daphfz

if you want a boom sound, have the reso and batter tuned the same(not tight, maybe somewhere around medium tension) and elevate the front of the bass about 2" with the spurs.

If you elevate the front of the bass drum--especially that much--you will be bending the batter-side hoop a lot, raising the pitch of just the lower half of the batter head and raising the pitch of the drum as a whole.

Forget the Mapex ads and keep your BD level. The easiest way to do this is to put the pedal on the front hoop and adjust the spurs so they keep the drum the same amount off the ground. When you reinstall the pedal on the batter side the drum will be off the ground, which is good, but the batter-side hoop won't be twisted and you'll be able to get the batter side head better tuned at a lower pitch.

thank you very much for the advice
but just a question, should I tune the reso tight or somewhat loose?

and by the way I've pretty much decided that I won't muffle ANY of my drums
so don't advise that haha

I have a suggestion! Why not try porting your hydraulic before you port that bass head, because 1) you'll get practice out of how to do it and 2) you can get a feel for what sound you're going to be getting, although it may be a little off, as the heads are different.

I have a suggestion! Why not try porting your hydraulic before you port that bass head, because 1) you'll get practice out of how to do it and 2) you can get a feel for what sound you're going to be getting, although it may be a little off, as the heads are different.

alright... think about it
a hydraulic head has oil in between the two plies.
porting that head would turn out to be a mess of oil haha